Let it Go
by Sammie03
Summary: He is looking for a job, she is looking for help. They have both been hurt and find comfort in each other. Lexzie An Au fic involving most characters but mostly Alex and Izzie.
1. Chapter 1

-1_This is an AU fic, I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy or any of it's characters._

Looking for Work

He drove the truck down the long driveway. He needed this job. It was his last effort to stay here and not go home to his mothers house. He was a grown man and the last thing he wanted to do was run home to mommy. It was a nice cape style home with a farmers porch. The gardens were breathtaking. He parked the truck in front of the big barn. The small room attached had a sign reading 'OFFICE' that was hanging beside the door. As he knocked, the door opened with a creaking sound. No one was there. He peaked in the barn next but also had no luck. He climbed the steps to the porch and knocked on the front door. Again no response. There was no way he was going to leave without a job. He walked around to the back of the house. He could see someone in the field. It was gated with a white fence. There were a couple of men leaning on the fence watching as the person in the field walked slowly toward the big black horse standing in the grass.

"Just plain crazy! That horse is a mean son of a gun." The older one says.

"You don't suppose we should go in and help do you?" The two men looked at each other.

"Nah!" They both said.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Dr. Dandridge."

"Do you see that horse?"

"Yes…Is Dr. Dandridge here?"

"No one has been able to get close to him. Dr Dandridge nearly got killed trying to bandage his leg." The older man explains.

He watches on as the person slowly reaches down to the animals calf.

"I can't believe it, he's letting her do it."

"It's because she's just as crazy as the horse." They chuckle.

"I'm looking for a job. I saw the ad in the paper. Are you Dandridge?" He asks the younger man.

"No the names George, George O'Malley. This is my father Harold."

"Alex Karev." They shake hands.

"What kind of animal do you have Alex?" Harold asks.

"Oh no, I don't have any animals. I'm looking for a job."

"Oh, well you'd be looking for Finn." George says.

"Great where is he?"

"Uh, he's gone." George says.

"Left town about six months ago." Harold says. He then leans in closer and whispers. "He took off with a cute little red head, we don't talk about that though."

"I really need a job. The ad was for a vet's assistant but I'm desperate. I'll take anything. I don't suppose you know where I could find something?" Alex asks.

"The ad was still in the paper? That can't be right, it must be a mistake." George asks.

"Maybe she's still looking. She's gonna need help now that he's gone."

"Who is she?" Alex asks.

"His wife." Harold points to the person in the field, who has removed the bandage and is standing next to the horse, whispering as she starts to climb up on him.

"Holy shit, she's gonna get killed."

The horse dances around for a minute but then quickly settles down. She strokes his mane and he slowly moves forward toward the fence. He picks up a little speed and her hat comes flying off sending her golden curls to cascade around her. She was beautiful, with big brown eyes and a smile that made him weak. As she neared the fence she tugged back on the reins causing the horse to slow down until coming to a complete stop. She eased herself down and the horse took off running.

"You are crazy, do you know that?" George asks.

"Crazy she is, but I swear I just fell in love with her."

"Mr. O'Malley, you'd be lost without Louise and you know it." She climbed over the fence and jumped down.

"Mrs. Dandridge…." Alex starts to say. George shakes his head and his eyes open wide as if to warn him not to say anything else.

"I'll forgive you for that because I'm sure you didn't know but I'm not Mrs. Dandridge!"

"But they said……" He is confused.

"They said I was married to that incredible jack ass, yes I was but I don't go by that name anymore! "

"Oh sorry, I wasn't aware of that. I am looking for a job, there was an ad in yesterday's paper."

"I told him that it must be a mistake."

"It's not a mistake George, I'm thinking about going back to work and I will need some help running things around here."

"I'm a hard worker."

"Do you live around here?"

"I'm in between places right now."

"You can't just hire a homeless guy off the street, no offense." George says.

"It's okay." Alex says.

"I don't know why you need to hire anyone, you have us. We could help you, and what about your brother?"

"I think George is worried that you are a psycho killer, so are you?"

"A psycho killer? No." Alex says.

"Then why don't you have a place to live?" George asks.

"George!"

"No, It's okay. My girlfriend was cheating on me, I found out and she kicked me out. The worst part was that she was my boss so she also fired me."

"You're hired. You can stay in the room above the barn."

"I don't think this is a great idea. Don't you want to do a background check or something?"

"George, I'm a big girl and I'll be fine."

"You won't regret it, I promise."

"So I suppose I should know your name."

"Oh yeah, Alex Karev." He holds his hand out and she shakes it.

"Izzie Stevens."


	2. Chapter 2

-1Chapter 2

He had been working for her for one week. Things were going well. He kept things running by fixing things around the house and splitting the wood for the wood stove. Occasionally they would have one of her husbands patients come to her for help. They didn't care that she was not a vet; she was just as good if not better than her husband.

They kept to themselves, she would make meals for them but he always took his plate back to his room and she ate alone in the kitchen. Day's were spent mostly in silence. They would speak when it was required.

On this particular day he had been sitting on the porch enjoying the lunch she had made him when a truck pulled into the drive. Two men got out and headed straight for the office. They were too busy talking to notice him. After a few minutes he heard her screaming, he quickly dropped the plate of food and ran to help her. He almost pulled the door off its hinges when he opened it. He grabbed at the first man who was in the way, roughly pushing him aside. He then pulled the second man who had both his arms wrapped around her as she stood back to, screaming. Letting her go he stumbled backwards as Alex punched him in the nose. Izzie quickly turned around and gasped at the sight before her.

"Oh my god!" She screamed.

Alex pulled back his arm to hit the man again when she yelled.

"Alex no! It's okay, that's my brother. I had my earphones in and didn't hear him come up behind me."

"Damn it! I think you broke my nose!"

"Sorry, I heard her screaming and I thought….sorry."

The other man helped his friend to his feet.

"It's okay; it's nice to know my sister is protected so well." He holds his nose.

"I can look at it for you, I'm a doctor." Alex says.

"That's okay my friend here is a plastic surgeon and he can check it out later. My name is Derek Shepard. You must be the guy George told me about. He didn't tell me you were a doctor. Why are you working here?"

"I got fired."

"Kill someone?" The other man asks.

"That's not funny Mark. I'm sorry Alex." Izzie says.

"Look I have a sister so I understand, really I do. My ex-girlfriend was the one who fired me, after I found her cheating. I just can't go back and live with my mother, she's way too controlling. Can you imagine being a twenty eight year old man with a curfew, sleeping on juvenile sheet sets? Dude I just can't do it."

"I think that's something we call _all_ understand." She looks at both Derek and Mark as she says it.

"Why do you always bring that up? You know that Addison and I are done." Derek says.

"And I didn't move back in with _my_ parents, I moved in with your parents and it was only for a couple of months." Mark says.

"All I'm saying is that we've all been where Alex is and so we should give him a break, besides I am a big girl Derek. I can take care of myself."

"I know Izzie, I'm just worried. I'm your brother, I'm supposed to worry."

"You're my half brother and I know. I do love you for it."

"I'm worried too." Mark says.

"Thank you. I appreciate it but I should be worried about you two. Derek my friend tells me that you didn't show up for the blind date I set you up on."

"He's afraid there is something wrong with her." Mark says.

"I'm not, I just don't know about a blind date. I'm not ready for that." Derek admits.

"There is nothing wrong with her Derek; she's a very nice girl."

"That's code for ugly." Mark says.

"I can't believe you just said that!" Izzie yells.

"Uh, I think I'm going to get back to work. Dude, sorry about the nose."

Alex walked out of the office and left Mark and Derek alone with Izzie.

"We're going to get back to the hospital so Mark can fix my nose. Call me if you need me."

"I will, I promise."

Derek wraps his arms around her, hugging her tightly. He then heads back to the truck.

"I'll be right there Derek." Mark says.

"Is he really okay since Addison moved in with that Pete guy?"

"Yeah, he will be alright. I wanted to ask you something Izzie."

"What is it Mark?"

"I think we should go out to dinner Friday night….you know like a double date. Derek is never gonna go out with your friend on his own and I thought if we went too, it might make it easier for him. I would understand if you didn't want to…."

"No, I just thought that you were asking me out for a second."

"Me? No! You're my best friends little sister, he would kill me for even thinking about it. I meant we could both take dates, unless you are not ready for that. We could always go together, you know just because you can trust me. I would be safe. I have known you practically your whole life."

"I think it's a great Idea."

"You do?"

"Yes, Derek needs our help. He's really missing out on a great girl."

"So did you want to go together or…?"

"Mark you don't have to give me a pity date. I wouldn't want you to waste a Friday night babysitting me. I'll see what I can come up with."

"Oh well let me know. It's really no problem if you want me to take you."

"Thanks, if I can't find anyone I'll call you."

"Oh, okay." She hugs him and he walks back to the truck.

As Mark climbs in the driver's seat of the truck he sighs.

"Did you ask her out?"

"Yes, No….kinda….No."

"Oh my god, you're in love with my sister!"

"No I'm not. I just thought it would be good to get her out."

"So did it work? You know I don't want to go on this blind date so it better work!"

"Yeah, she's going to bring a _date_."

"Then we should be happy she's getting out, right?"

"She's probably going to go out with some jerk who will only want to take advantage of the fact she has been left by her husband. If that's what happens, I'm going to have to kill a guy." Derek laughs. "Don't laugh; you're helping me get rid of the body." Mark says.

"I can't believe you talked me into this. Okay so she's going to bring a date and I have to meet this friend of hers, so who are you going to bring?" Derek asks.

"I'll find someone. Too bad you didn't have another sister." He smirks

"My mother is probably free Friday night…..Or better yet my grandmother's boyfriend just died and she would just love to get out of the nursing home for a night on the town, she does have an early curfew though so you'd have to skip desert….." Derek laughs hysterically.

"This isn't funny Derek." He scowls.

"Nope, not funny at all." He tries to hold the laughter, but eventually starts laughing all over again as they drive down the road towards the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

-1Chapter 3

That night when Alex came to the kitchen to collect his meal, he found that Izzie had not cooked a meal. Instead she was covered in flour. Several muffin tins had cluttered the countertops and batches of muffins covered the kitchen table. She was frantically mixing the ingredients in the clear glass mixing bowl that sat on the island in front of her. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. The black t-shirt she wore was partially covered by an apron that read 'Kiss the Cook'. Her shorts fit her snugly; they were what he guessed to be her pajamas. Red with little black hearts on them. In the week he had been there he suspected that she was not at all modest. He had seen her in as little as a sleeveless top and her panties when she walked around her home at night. Maybe she just wasn't used to having someone else around. If you asked him, she should _never_ wear clothes with a body like that. He tried not to notice, he needed to keep this job for a while at least until he could get his foot in the door somewhere that his ex had not threatened to have anyone that hired him, thrown out on their ass. He leaned against the door frame as he watched her pour the batter. He didn't want to frighten her so he cleared his throat to let her know she was not alone.

"Oh, hey Alex. Do you like muffins?"

"Yeah, but I don't think I can eat all these by myself." He joked.

She dropped the mixing bowl down to the countertop with a loud thud.

"Oh my god…..I'm sorry, I didn't make anything for dinner!" She began to sob.

"It's okay, I love muffins." He hoped it would calm her down but she only cried harder.

Alex cautiously approached her and took her hand leading her to the living room. He motioned for her to sit on the couch.

"I'm a mess, I can't do anything right!" She sobbed.

"I'm sure that's not true. You are really good with animals, amazing even."

"I'm not a vet! I was a surgeon for god's sake!"

"You were a surgeon?"

"Yes, is that so hard to believe?"

"No, that's not what I meant."

"I quit because he wanted me to have kids."

"Your husband?"

"He said that I wouldn't have the time for a career and family. When I got pregnant, I quit my job and he ran off with Olivia Harper!"

"I'm sorry."

"Now I'm all by myself, no husband no kid and no job!"

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I had a miscarriage."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I cried for a long time after it first happened."

"I should go; you probably don't want to talk about this stuff with a stranger."

"No please stay, I can cook you something."

"That's not necessary, I really do like muffins."

Alex is relieved when she laughs.

"Thank you." She says.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, I'm sorry you had to see that. I feel like a fool."

"It's no big deal; I understand why you were crying."

"Actually I freaked out because I have to go out Friday night."

"Oh."

"I bake when I'm upset." She admitted

"So you're upset about going out, why?"

"I have to find a date. I don't know anyone to ask. I would ask George to go with me. He is my best friend but he will be away with his dad on a camping trip and leaves Friday morning. And then there is always Mark, he offered to take me but that would be like taking your brother to the prom."

"I could go with you." He suggested,

"You would do that?"

"Sure. Look at it this way; you know I will be a perfect gentleman. I don't want to loose my job."

"About that…"

"You're not firing me are you?"

"No! I just wanted to tell you that you're doing a great job. This place has never been so taken care of. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Well I better get to bed, I'm going to get up early tomorrow and start repainting the porch."

"Are you sure you don't want me to make you something to eat, I really feel awful about that."

"No, I told you I love muffins and I'll just grab a few on my way out."

"Okay, goodnight."

"Goodnight Izzie."


	4. Chapter 4

-1Chapter 4

Three days passed. It was now Friday night; they were supposed to meet Derek and Mark at the restaurant by six. Alex waited in the living room for Izzie to appear. She was still getting dressed and he was sure they would be late. It didn't really matter either way to him.

This entire week he thought about telling Izzie that he wasn't so sure about this whole thing and maybe she would be better off finding someone else to take her. He never found the nerve to tell her, mostly because every time he started to; she told him how excited she was about Friday night and thanked him for taking her. His ex might tell you he was a heartless bastard but he just couldn't let Izzie down. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he understood how it felt to be dumped in such a humiliating way.

He had waited long enough; he was going to go let her know if she wasn't ready in five minutes he was going without her. As he reached the bottom of the steps she appeared at the top. She self-consciously smiled at him and ran her fingers over the dress she was wearing.

"It's been a long time since I've been out; I wasn't sure what to wear." She says.

"You look….amazing."

She wore a simple black sleeveless dress with a plunging neckline. The materiel hugged her breasts tightly. Her usually curly hair had been straightened and it was the first time he had seen her wear makeup, not that she needed it. She was a naturally beautiful woman.

"Thanks you look great too." She says.

Great was not the right word for the way he looked, but she knew if she were to tell him what she was really thinking it would be awkward between them for the rest of the evening.

He held out his hand for her to take as she climbed down the last two steps.

"We should get going before were late."

"I want to make sure Derek goes through with it this time."

He helped her put her coat on and then rushed to open the door, holding it open for her.

"Thanks."

Once they got to the restaurant, they were seated at an empty table. Surprisingly they were the first ones to arrive. They ordered drinks and made small talk until Derek arrived.

"Am I too late? Did she leave already?"

"Are you late on purpose? Derek!"

"Relax, my car wouldn't start. I had to call a cab. So where is this perfect woman that you wont stop nagging me about?"

"She called me and said she was running a little late."

"Uh huh, this is why I don't like blind dates."

"She's coming Derek. Where is Mark? Did he decide to skip the date and take her straight back to his place?"

"I don't think that's his intention."

Just then a small brunette approached the table.

"Thank god, I need a drink to get through this." Derek looked up at her. "Could I get a scotch please, did you guys already order drinks?"

"Yes, but this _isn't_ our waitress Derek. This is my friend Meredith, your date."

"Hello Derek, it's nice to _finally_ meet you. Izzie talks about you all the time."

She was beautiful and he was impressed by the fact that Izzie knew exactly what type of woman he was attracted to. Maybe this would be a good night after all. He would have to find some way to let Mark know that he wouldn't need any help making an excuse to get out of a second date. The real waitress approached their table and as she did, Meredith smiled at her.

"Excuse me miss? Could I get tequila for me and a scotch for him? Thanks." Meredith asks.

Yes, this was going to be a good night.


	5. Chapter 5

-1Chapter 5

Izzie mindlessly stirred the drink in front of her as she listened to the woman go on and on. Why did Mark have to bring this woman, she was annoying. All she did was talk, and nothing she had to say was interesting.

"Where did you find _her_?" Derek asks as he leans close to Mark, making sure his date did not hear.

"I met her today; she was coming out of Dr. Kline's office."

"A shrink, she was coming out of a shrink's office? Are you crazy? She could be this close to being committed, _listen_ to her."

"I'm sure she's medicated so there's probably no real danger, she just likes to talk that's all. Besides I was desperate."

"Clearly."

"I didn't want to get a date until the last minute in case Izzie called."

"So now we all get to suffer! Thanks." Derek says a little louder than he intended, it was something he was about to regret because now he was the focus of her unwanted attention.

"So Derek, how long have you and Mark been friends because I'm sensing a little hostility towards him?"

"We've been friends since we were five, and I'm not hostile."

"I can see it in your eyes."

"No, this is just what I normally look like."

"Meredith have you been dating Derek for long?"

"This is our first date actually."

"This is interesting, how did you meet?"

"Izzie is Derek's sister and she set this up, she is a good friend of mine."

"Well a good friend is something to be cherished. Don't you agree Derek?"

"Uh…yeah, I guess."

"It's okay to open up your feelings, don't be so closed off."

"I'm not closed off."

"I think you could use a hug."

"Thanks for the offer but…."

"Oh no silly, I meant you should hug Mark. Hugging is a great way to open yourself up to someone."

"Sydney, I don't think Derek and I will be hugging." Mark says.

"You never know. So Izzie, gosh that's such a fun name. I just think we are going to be such great friends, don't you?"

"Uh…" Izzie takes a big sip of her drink.

"Izzie would you like to dance?" Alex asks.

"I'd _love_ to!" She hops up out of the chair and pulls Alex with her to the dance floor.

"Thank you." Izzie says.

"Your welcome, but she was driving me just as crazy as she was you."

He steps in close to her and wraps his arm around her waist gently pulling her close. Izzie hooked her arms around the back of his neck and they started to move. She thought this should feel awkward being in another mans arms, but surprisingly it didn't. She felt comfortable.

"I'm having a good time." Izzie says.

"You are?"

"Well until Mark and Sydney got here."

"Maybe we should ditch them."

"That sounds like an excellent idea, except I would feel bad abandoning Meredith and Derek."

"What about Mark?"

"What about him? He brought her so as far as I'm concerned he deserves what he gets." She looks over at the table. "You're right let's ditch them."

"But you said…."

"Screw it, they'll forgive me _eventually_."

"So how should we do this? I've never ditched anyone before."

"Me either."

"Okay how about after the dance is over we go back to the table and you can say you're not feeling well and we can get out of here."

"That's a good plan, but I don't feel like going home just yet."

"I know a place we can go."

"Great."

As they approached the table, Sydney made eye contact with them.

"Oh we missed you guys, so Izzie can we talk?" Sydney says.

"Actually I think were going to call it a night." Alex says.

"What? Why?" Mark says.

"I'm not feeling well, I think I'd just like to go home and go to sleep."

"You look fine!" Mark says.

"I'm tired and I've got an early morning so…Sydney it was um…yeah…Meredith I'll call you tomorrow."

"You're really leaving?" Derek asks.

"You'll be fine" Izzie whispers to Derek. "She likes you."

"Are you ready?" Alex asks Izzie.

"Yeah, goodnight everyone."

As they crossed the parking lot to her car she fished her keys out of her coat pocket and threw them to him. He caught them and opened her door for her; he then ran around to the driver's side and got in.

"So where are we going?" She asks.

"My friend runs a bar on the other side of town."

They pulled into the parking lot of Joe's Bar. It was a brick building with a neon sign hanging in the window. From the outside it looked packed. Alex quickly got out and opened her door.

"Thanks, you didn't have to do that."

"Are you kidding, I want everyone to see what a hot date I have."

She blushed and looked down as they walked towards the door. He reached over and took her hand causing her to look over at him as they walked into the busy crowd. He led her to the bar where they sat on the last two empty stools.

"Alex, man where the hell have you been hiding?"

"Hey Joe, sorry I haven't been around. I see business is good."

"Yeah, so who's the cute blonde?"

"Oh sorry, Joe this is Izzie, she's my new employer."

"If I wasn't gay I'd ask how I could get a job like that."

"Izzie this is Joe."

"Hi Joe."

"What kind of work do you have Alex doing?"

"He helps me take care of animals and some labor around my house."

"What kind of animals?"

"Joe enough, get the girl a drink and leave her alone."

"It's okay Alex. I take care of sick animals, horses, dogs…"

"Cats?" Joe asks with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Yeah."

"Would you look at my cat?"

"Since when do you have a cat?" Alex asks.

"Walter brought one home a couple of days ago, but it limps around. I made an appointment for the vet but they can't see her until the middle of next week."

"I'd love to take a look for you, where is she?"

"Right now she's upstairs, we have an apartment up there."

"Do you mind if I take a look Alex?"

"No, as long as you don't mind doing it."

"I'll be right back, order us some drinks it shouldn't take me very long."

Izzie follows Joe to a door towards the back that goes upstairs. Ten minutes later Alex is sipping his beer, when he hears a familiar voice from behind.

"Alex?"

He closes his eyes and sighs; he had hoped he would not run into her. He thought he would be safe here because she always hated this place.

"Rebecca, what are you doing here?" He asks as he turns around to look at her.

"I came for a drink."

"You hate it here."

"Fine I thought I would run into you."

"Rebecca."

"Alex, I'm sorry. I wanted to see you but you never answer my calls."

"That's because I don't want to see you."

"Is it really necessary to be rude?"

"What do you want?"

"You, I want you."

"You don't need me."

"I do, you're the only one knows exactly how to please me."

"You're drunk."

"Does that matter? Take me home and I'll show you just how much I've missed you."

Izzie and Joe watch from in front of the door to the upstairs apartment.

"God don't do it Alex." Joe says so only Izzie can hear.

"Is that his ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah, that's her. She's a real bitch."

"Do you think he will take her back?"

"I hope not. She really screwed him over this last time."

Izzie casually walked toward Alex and his ex-girlfriend. When she reached him she crushed her lips against his and placed one hand on the back of his neck. The other ran down the front of his chest and only stopped when she reached the front of his pants; she cupped her hand and rubbed it against him. She parted his lips with her tongue and explored his willing mouth. He forgot all about the woman he had just been arguing with. He wasn't sure if it was the sweet tasting kiss or the fact that Izzie was currently rubbing his now growing erection through his pants, either way he leaned forward as she pulled away from the kiss. He wasn't ready for it to end.

"I'm ready to go home whenever you are." Izzie says.

"Who are you?" Rebecca demands.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize you were talking to anyone." Izzie says to Alex. "Hi I'm Izzie."

"Alex you're not going home with her are you?" Rebecca says as she crosses her arms.

"I hope he does, after all we live together."

"You what?" Rebecca yells

"Alex and I live together."

"Is she your girlfriend?" Rebecca asks loudly.

"Yes." This time it is Alex who answers.

"I can't believe you!" Rebecca yells as she turns away from them and marches toward the front door.

"Izzie, thank you. I don't think you know exactly how good that felt."

"Sure I do, remember we both have cheating ex's."

That wasn't exactly what he meant but he would drop it for now.

"So did you get me a drink?" She asks.

He hands her the drink and she gulps some down before pulling him out to the dance floor, leaving Joe to stand there smiling as he watched them move together in the crowd of people.


	6. Chapter 6

-1Chapter 6

Alex turned the ignition off and looked into the passenger seat. Izzie was drunk. He stepped out of the car and hurried over to her side as she struggles to stand up between giggles.

"Let me help you." Alex offers as he picks her up off the ground, slinging her over his shoulder.

"Alex."

"Yeah?"

"I had fun tonight. I like Joe, he's a nice man."

Alex laughs.

"Yeah, he liked you too."

"He did? I don't think your ex liked me very much."

He balanced her as he unlocked the door to the house.

"No, I'd say she wasn't a big fan of yours."

"Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"You have a really nice ass."

He smiles as her hand moves along the tight curve of his ass.

"Thanks."

He pushes the door to her bedroom open and approaches her bed. Slowly leaning forward he gently lowers her onto the soft mattress and sits down on the edge of the bed, his arms on either side of her.

"Can I tell you something?" She asks.

"What?"

"You're a great kisser too."

Without warning she reaches up and pulls him toward her, covering his mouth with hers. Her tongue darted out to touch his, circling before leaving the warmth of his mouth.

His eyes open to find her sleeping soundly. He pulls her shoes off and covers her with the thick comforter at the foot of her bed. He takes one last look at her before snapping the light off and closing the door, leaving her to sleep off the effects of the night.


	7. Chapter 7

-1Chapter 7

Izzie padded down the steps, she needed coffee. The clang coming from the kitchen startled her to a halt, not because she was worried about who could be making all the racket. She knew exactly who it was; she had asked him to fix the plumbing in the kitchen. Crap, she would just have to creep back up the steps and hide out in her bedroom until he was done. She couldn't face him; it was hard enough to get that kiss out of her head _without_ having to see him.

Taking two steps back she turned around swiftly and tripped over what could only be her own two feet. She landed on the floor with a thud.

"Damn it!" She cursed.

He appeared in the hallway in a matter of minutes, smiling at her as he held his hand out to help her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"I uh…. Yeah, I just tripped but I'm okay."

She took his hand and allowed him to help her up.

"Do you want some coffee?"

"Thanks but I thought I would call Meredith and see if she wanted to go out for coffee this morning."

"Oh, okay. Then I'll see you later."

She was surprised Meredith answered her call after abruptly leaving her last night. She sat at the table in the small coffee shop not far from her home, waiting for Meredith to show up.

"Izzie."

"Meredith, I'm really sorry about last night. I hope you aren't too mad at me."

"I think I'll forgive you, besides you weren't feeling well. I understand."

Izzie's eyes immediately fell to the floor.

"About that." Izzie says.

"You weren't sick?"

"Like I said I'm sorry."

"You bitch; you left me all alone with that pain in the ass!" Meredith says loudly.

"I know. Wasn't she the most annoying person you have ever met?"

"I was talking about your brother!"

"Derek?" Izzie asks.

"Do you have another pain in the ass brother?"

"What happened? I thought you guys would hit it off."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"If it makes you feel any better, I feel like crap this morning."

"Yeah, it kinda does but I thought you weren't sick last night."

"I wasn't, I got drunk and now I'm not only hung-over but I'm also slightly embarrassed." Izzie admits.

"Why? What did you do?"

"I kissed Alex."

"What's embarrassing about that, he's cute."

"And I touched him." As she says it her cheeks redden.

"What? Well you were drunk; people do things when they're drunk."

"I was sober when I did it."

Izzie rubs her temples.

"Oh, is there anything else?"

"He had to carry me to my room, I told him he had a great ass and I actually grabbed it. Then I kissed him in my bed and passed out. He was so sweet."

"What's so bad about that?"

Meredith looked away from the table briefly, when she did she saw him walking towards the table.

"Oh god!"

"What?"

"Derek, he's here!"

"It's okay Meredith, it was only one date. I'll just tell him……"

"I slept with him!" Meredith blurted out.

Izzie was stunned, that was the last thing she expected to hear. She thought they didn't get along. In a matter of seconds Derek would be at the table, so she plastered a fake smile on her face and stood to greet him while Meredith tried to look busy by sipping her coffee and reading the paper that had been left by whoever had been there before them.

"Good morning ladies."

"Derek, what are you doing here?" Izzie asks.

"Well, Meredith rushed off so fast after your call this morning that she forgot these."

He held a pair of silver earrings in the palm of his hand. Meredith reached for them and he took the opportunity to smile at the fact she was blushing.

"Thanks." Meredith said quietly as she tucked them into her purse.

She tried to ignore the fact that he was still there staring at her with that stupid grin on his face. He obviously wasn't going anywhere.

"Can I buy you breakfast?" He asks.

"Derek maybe you should go." Izzie says

"No." He refused.

"Derek." Izzie says in a harsher tone.

"Izzie, it's okay really. Why don't you go home and I will call you later."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Izzie looked at them both, not sure if she should leave them alone.

"Okay." She stood, picking up her keys and as Derek sat down in her seat she whispered. "Behave yourself, please."

He smirked as she walked away.

"What did you tell my sister?"

"The truth, I can't stand you." She simply says.

"Did you tell her I don't like you either?" He crosses his arms and tilts back in his chair.

"Everybody likes me, _I'm_ likable."

"And I'm not?"

"Not really, you're kinda arrogant."

"Just confidant." He smiles.

"Too confident."

"Do you want to take this back to my place?" He asks.

Without saying a word she jumped up from her seat and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of his seat, she answered breathlessly.

"Yes."


	8. Chapter 8

-1Chapter 8

Izzie set the keys down on the kitchen counter. She was about to go up to her room when she saw a crisp white envelope with her name scribbled on it. Taking in into her hands she traces the corners with her slender fingers. She pulled the flap and removed the piece of paper from its wrapper. Unfolding it, she began to read the words.

_Izzie, _

_I have fixed the plumbing in the kitchen and also taken a look at the broken step and railings on the back porch. I've gone to pick up some lumber to fix it with._

_I got the impression that you were avoiding me this morning, so I am going to make a stop at Joe's to check on his cat. I also have got to stop by Rebecca's to pick up the rest of my stuff. I hope this gives you the time you seem to need away from me._

_I just wanted to tell you that I really like working for you and I hope that we can get past anything that might have made it awkward for us to co-exist. I'm beginning to think of you as not only my boss, but a friend. I hope you feel the same._

_Alex_

Izzie smiled, he was right they were friends. At least she thought they would be, given the chance. She suddenly felt stupid for hiding from him. It was only a kiss, well _technically_ two very hot kisses but that was beside the point. The point was she liked him.

There was a knock on her front door so she tucked the note in her pocket before answering it. He was sitting on the steps when she opened the door. He was back to and his shoulders were slumped. She approached him slowly and sat on the step next to him.

"I wasn't sure if I should knock or walk right in." He says.

"What are you doing here?" She asks.

"I came to tell you I'm sorry." His voice is soft and his eyes continue to look down at the ground.

"It's a little late for that don't you think?"

"Izzie, don't be like that." He looks at her.

"Do you know how long it's been? You could've come sooner."

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't but you've got to understand, Finn is my brother."

"And you were my friend; at least I thought you were." She was starting to get angry; her hands were clenched at her sides.

"I feel partly responsible, I introduced you."

"Denny you were my patient; I met your brother when he came to visit you in the hospital. You are not responsible for what kind of man he is."

"You saved my life." He says.

"Yeah." She sighs and her face softens.

"I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything, it was my job."

"I couldn't just sit by and say nothing Izzie."

"What are you talking about?"

"You should get a lawyer." He stood, walking down the steps to his car. As he pulled open the driver's side door he stopped to look back at her, still sitting on the porch.

"Why do I need a lawyer Denny, what's he going to do?"

"He's going to try to sell the house out from under you." He sighs. "And he wants the baby Izzie." Before she could say anything he climbed into the car and pulled away.


	9. Chapter 9

-1_Sorry it took me so long to update, I had a small case of writers block on this chapter. _

Chapter 9

When Alex got home that evening he was surprised to see the front door wide open and all the lights off. He sprinted up the steps of the porch calling out to her as he entered the house. Upon entering the house he could see her on the floor in front of the fireplace. She was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest; her arms were wrapped around them. When he got closer he could see her eyes were red and swollen, streaks of dried tears showed on her cheeks. Carefully he kneeled down next to her, she looked exhausted. She didn't flinch as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to her room, laying her in her bed for the second night in a row.

As he was about to leave she looked up at him.

"Please don't leave, I can't be alone."

"Okay."

He kicked off his shoes and climbed under the thick blanket. They quietly lie side by side in her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"There's nothing to tell Alex."

"I don't believe you but if you don't want to talk about it I'll understand."

They were silent again until she spoke, he hoped she would tell him why she was so upset but she just changed the subject.

"How was Joe's cat?"

"Much better, Joe has asked me to bring you over some night for dinner. Walter is a great cook and he is excited to meet you, since Joe likes you so much."

"That sounds great."

Alex noticed her fingers nervously work against the place her wedding ring once was. He reached out and held her hand, stilling her motions. She looked at him and smiled; a single tear escaped and ran down her cheek. He brought the other hand up, wiping at the salty tear.

"I need a lawyer." Her voice was barely audible, a deep shaky inhale of breath followed. "Finn is going to try to sell the house."

"Was he here?" Alex asks with concern.

"No, his brother came to see me today. He told me what Finn was planning to do. He is going to try to sell my house without my knowledge. He is probably planning to buy a big house for that slut Olivia so they can raise _my_ baby!"

Alex's eyes grew wide. There was no baby; Izzie had told him of her miscarriage after her husband left her.

"He doesn't know about the baby?" Alex asks.

"No, how could he? He never once called and checked to see how we were. Now he thinks that he's going to steal a baby away from me that doesn't exist. She would be about a month old now, I was going to name her Sarah"

"Izzie, I'm sorry."

"It's fine Alex, just as well. A baby doesn't deserve to be put in the middle like that." She looks away as she shakes her head.

"You need a lawyer? I know one, an excellent one."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I have a friend who is a lawyer. I can call her if you want, set up a meeting."

"Really, that would be great. Thank you Alex."

"No need to thank me, I gotta look out for my job." He winks at her and she smiles.

"I'd like to think it's more than that." She admits.

"It is. Are you going to be alright now or do you still want me to stay?"

"I think I'm going to be fine."

"Okay so I'll give my friend a call in the morning and maybe we can go see her tomorrow." He let go of her hand slowly and climbed out of her bed, bending down before leaving he kissed her forehead. "Sleep well."

He crossed the hardwood floor and looked back at her as he reached for the light switch, she was fast asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

-1Chapter 10

They drove to the other side of town, the office was small, quant. Izzie looked around at the neatly kept desk and the framed diplomas and awards that covered the walls. They were met with a tall man sitting at the front desk. His eyes were warm and inviting. He smiled at Alex, extending his hand.

"Alex, good to see you. It's been a while."

"Yeah, I've been keeping myself busy. How are you?" The man smiled politely and shrugged his shoulders. Izzie got the feeling something was bothering him but decided it wasn't her place to notice.

"Fine. She told me you were coming in today but she hasn't returned from her two o'clock appointment yet. You can wait in her office if you like, she shouldn't be long."

"Great." Alex leads Izzie into a small office that was a total contradiction to the almost spotless desk of her assistant. There were scattered papers covering the desk, a trail of emptied coffee cups and Styrofoam food containers littered the cramped room.

"Oh my god." Izzie says as she looks around.

"Yeah sorry, I should've mentioned what a complete slob she is."

A small angry Asian woman burst through the door, tossing her keys onto the cluttered desk.

"What the hell is the matter with you Karev?"

"Me?"

"Yes you, that little bitch Rebecca cornered me at Joes the other night. She whined about you fucking some tall gorgeous blonde and wouldn't leave me alone. She kept bugging me about it until I had to punch her in the face to shut her up. Why the fuck didn't you call me and warn me you were seeing someone else so I could avoid that little twit."

"I'm sorry I didn't call. I should've."

"You could've stayed on my couch you know." Her voice calmed a bit.

"I know but I thought your boyfriend wouldn't appreciate the extra company in your tiny apartment."

"I don't have a boyfriend smartass!"

"Does he know that?" Alex asks.

"Whatever." Cristina rolls her eyes and takes in the appearance of the blonde standing next to Alex. "Well you must be the tall gorgeous blonde that the twit was talking about. I'm Cristina Yang."

"Izzie Stevens." Izzie introduces herself in a cheery manner.

"Oh god, you traded in the evil bitch for Mary freakin sunshine!" Cristina says. Izzie's smile disappears.

"Be nice and I didn't trade anything, Izzie is my boss."

"Uh huh, that's funny I always thought you'd be the dominant one between the sheets Karev."

"Can we just focus on Izzie's case please?" Cristina was the best friend he had but god was she a pain in the ass sometimes. They were the kind of friends that were not always kind with their words but when it came right down to it they cared, not that they would ever admit to it. "Do you think you can help her?"

"Are you kidding? I'm a pretty kick ass lawyer you know. Much better than the incompetent idiot her husband has hired." Cristina explained.

"Who is it?" Alex asks.

"Richard Webber, he's an old goat of a man who should've retired years ago. I'll have my assistant make an appointment with the old man and I'll be in touch."

"Thanks Cristina." Alex and Izzie follow her out into the lobby where her assistant is filing some papers.

"Preston, can you call Webber's office and get me an appointment?"

"I'll do it as soon as I am done with this." He replies coldly.

"Are you mad at me?" Cristina asks.

"No not at all. Why would you think that?" His voice is sarcastic and everyone picks up on it but Cristina, or maybe she just ignores it.

"I'll call you." Cristina says to Alex as he and Izzie walk out the front door.


	11. Chapter 11

-1Chapter 11

The sharp blade of the axe easily splits through the wood balanced on the chopping block in the back yard. His muscles flex with every swing. Beads of sweat form over his tanned skin and the two friends sitting on the back porch sipping on tart lemonade stare in awe at his toned shirtless body.

"Oh my god." She says with a smile. "How many times a week do you get to watch him do this?" Meredith asks.

"Everyday." Izzie says as the temperature of her body rises.

"Seriously?" Meredith gulps down the cool liquid, her body getting hotter at the site before them. His tight stomach and rippling back alone were enough to get her hot. Not to mention the incredible ass they got a good view of every time he bent down for a new log to split.

"Seriously." Izzie's tongue darts out, licking at her lip.

Alex swung the axe for the last time and wiped the sweat from his brow. As he stacked it into a pile he noticed the two women watching him, the corner of his mouth lifting upward to a half smile. Izzie looked away trying to stop the huge grin that was spreading across her face.

"How are you not fucking him?" Meredith asks. "He is definitely fuckable."

"We're friends, that's all." Izzie says, shrugging.

"No, you and I are friends. As far as I know you don't fantasize about me when you are…." Meredith is cut off quickly by Izzie's laughter.

"I hate you." Izzie shakes her head, wondering if she was that transparent or if it was because Meredith knew her so well. She had been fantasizing about him since the kiss and of course the groping. He was bigger than Finn, she could tell by the feel she had gotten at Joe's. He had to be better than Finn too, it wouldn't take much. Finn was never good at sex, he was a greedy lover. Greedy in the sense that Izzie never once had an orgasm in all the years they were together, not with his help anyway. There was something to be said for self stimulation. Her mind wandered to the dream she had last night. Alex sliding between the cool sheets of her bed, thrusting inside of her. Bringing her to orgasm after earth shattering orgasm.

"Izzie!" Meredith's voice brought her back to reality. "Izzie do you know that man talking to Alex?"

Izzie's eyes narrowed as she focused on the tall man chatting with Alex. He was an older man, gray hair peeking out from under his hat "No I've never seen him before." She set down her glass and got up from the chair, the grass tickled her bare feet as she walked toward them.

"So is this pretty lady your girlfriend?" The man asks politely.

"No, I just work here. Izzie if you don't need me I'm going to get back to work." Alex says and she nods.

"This is a great house, beautiful view. Is that a lake back there?" He asks as he runs his hand over his graying goatee.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch your name." Izzie says.

"Oh how impolite of me, my name's Dick. Dick Webb." He extends his hand to her and she looks at it cautiously before raising her eyes to meet his.

"I'll kindly ask you to leave Mr. Webber." Her arms cross her chest.

"You're a smart girl Mrs. Dandridge." He smirks.

"Stevens." She corrects him. If there was one thing that got under her skin it was being reminded of her stupidity. She was stupid for marrying him; stupid for thinking he was a nice man who loved her.

"I do apologize for dropping in on you unannounced but Finn told me how gracious a person you were and I thought…"

"You thought you would come here to spy on me?" Her voice is steady, she tries to sound unaffected. "I'm sorry but you'll have to tell Finn if he wants to know what's going on here, he'll have to grow a pair of balls and come face me himself." Richard Webber smiles at her, he is impressed. She is not exactly the kind of woman his client had described. Finn said she was weak and easily manipulated, he was wrong. "Goodbye Mr. Webber"

"Ms. Stevens, it was a pleasure." He tipped his hat to her as he left.


	12. Chapter 12

-1

**Warning: This chapter contains mature content and is not intended for readers under the age of 18.**

Chapter 12

Alex tossed the thin sheet off of his lower body, it was hot and muggy and he couldn't sleep. He had gone to bed naked that night trying to get some relief from the thick air and even with the windows wide open he still could not get comfortable. Growing frustrated he climbed out of his bed and walked to the window. There wasn't even a slight breeze to cool him off, that's when he saw the sparkling ripple of the lake in the moonlight. He looked to the house, all the lights were off and it would be the perfect time for him to take a dip.

The walk to the lake seemed to be a long one, mostly because he was so hot and couldn't wait to slip into the cool water. He hurried down the wooden dock, jumping into the water. He resurfaced with a small slashing to hear a giggle nearby. Wiping the water from his face he scanned the water. In the moonlight he saw her a few feet away from him. He smiled and swam towards her.

"The water feels great." He says.

"Yeah, it was too hot to sleep." She backed away a little as he came closer, scared he would realize she was naked. "So early day tomorrow? You're probably going back to bed?"

Right then he remembered he hadn't put anything on before he left his room, he was naked and that was not good if he wanted to stay friends with her. "No, not just yet. You must be tired, you were up early today."

"I'm not tired at all." She backed away further.

"Why do you keep moving away, what are you worried about?"

She hesitated. Damn it, why did she have to hesitate? "I…I'm not moving away." He smirked and slipped under the water. "Alex…."

His head popped up right in front of her and when she started to back away again he reached for her. His eyes widened when his fingers brushed against her hardened nipple. She gasps and he jerks his hand back. "I'm sorry….I didn't realize you were….naked." He gulps.

"You couldn't see under the water?" If she wasn't so horny she would've died of embarrassment right then and there.

"No, it's too dark and murky down there; I promise I didn't see anything. I can turn around if you want to get out." She didn't respond she was too busy staring at the drop of water drip off the tip of his nose and splash on his lips. Lips she longed to kiss. His jaw flexing in the soft light of the moon was making the heat radiate from her body, starting at her core.

He started to turn away from her, if she wanted to get out this would be her only opportunity. He knew he wouldn't be able to turn away a second time. Slender fingers squeezed his arm, holding him in place. He searched her eyes for an explanation, what he got was so much more. Izzie's tongue darts out and licks her lips as she pulls herself to him in the water. Goose bumps scatter over her arms as she lifts them out of the water just enough to wrap then around his neck. Her nose rubs up against his, their foreheads touching. She sucks in a ragged breath as her eyes flutter closed.

Alex doesn't move he's not sure what to do. He knew what he wanted to do, fuck her senseless. She was his boss and this was already way past crossing the line, his erection was rubbing against her thigh. How do you go back from this and better yet why would you want to?

He tilts his head slightly and opens his mouth, capturing her lips in a sensual kiss. Slow and soft, his tongue explored her mouth as his hands explored her body. She moaned into the kiss as he brushed his hand against the side of her breast, trailing it down to rest on her hip.

As her tongue sweeps over his, thunder claps in the distance and tiny droplets of rain pelt against their skin. Izzie desperately tries to hold on as Alex breaks the kiss. Her body screamed for more, one kiss, one touch just wasn't enough.

"We should get inside; it's going to be coming down hard pretty soon." It was an innocent statement, but it had been so long since she felt the touch of a man that all she heard in that entire sentence was 'cuming hard'. It was all she could do to regain her composure enough to climb onto the wooden dock.

He took her hand and led her to the house, pushing the door open he let her brush past him into the warmth of the modest home. He turned on his heal and was about to leave when she called out to him. "Alex…."

Two steps in the door, her body was crashing into his. Her kiss was desperate and hurried this time. Alex's hands cupped her face as they backed towards the stairs that led to her bedroom. "Iz…" He said into her mouth.

She reluctantly broke the kiss. "Alex please, I need you." Desperation hung in the air.

In one swoop, he quickly lifted her off her feet and carried her up the steps. Kicking her door open with his foot he held her tight as he crossed her room. His knee came in contact with the edge of the bed, carefully he laid her down. The flashing light of the storm outside streamed through her window giving him a perfect view of her naked body. The crackling of thunder seemed to beat in his heart as he parted her legs, bringing one up to rest on his shoulder.

She bit her lip and her eyes were heavy with desire. Soft lips touched her leg, making a trail of light kisses to her thigh. When he moved higher excitement coursed through her. Was he really going to do what she thought he was? The though alone made her shiver. No one had ever done it to her before. Not her husband and not the two men she had shared a bed with before him. Izzie always wanted it, but was scared to ask. The one time she asked her husband to do it he said that it wouldn't feel as good as his cock; she doubted it, but didn't want to argue.

Once when she was a teenager she walked in on Mark with his face buried deep between the legs of Ashley Jennings, the girl was squirming around on Derek's bed, gripping Marks hair and crying out in orgasm. Izzie knew Derek wasn't home and wanted to borrow a CD, she fantasized about having someone make her scream like that ever since.

Her fantasy was about to come true as Alex placed his tongue against her aching clit. "Oh god that feels….oh…amazing…" He smiled as he continued to work his tongue over her, adding one then two fingers into her core. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe evenly. The heat was building quickly and the tingling sensation spread through her as a powerful orgasm ripped through her to the tips of her curled toes. "ALEX!"

Alex's cock was never as hard as he listened to her scream out his name in orgasm. He rose up to his knees and rubbed the head of his penis against her, then pulled away as he mentally kicked himself for not having a condom.

She rolled over and pulled the top off the box on the table beside her bed, pulling out the foil package. The corners of his mouth turned up as she returned and took him into her mouth, teasing him with the curve of her tongue. After releasing him she ripped open the wrapper and rolled the thin sheath down over his erection.

She lay back on the bed and he entered her slowly, letting her get used to his size. His thrusts were slow at first; he was enjoying the feel of her around him. He kissed the soft skin of he neck and worked his way to her sensitive nipples, taking each one into his mouth.

Grabbing a pillow above her head he instructed her to lift her ass. He placed the pillow under her and sat up on his knees. "What are you…" He placed her leg on his shoulder and plunged deep inside of her. "…Oh my god!" She cried out as another orgasm took over her body. He pulled out quickly and rolled her onto her stomach, she tensed a bit not sure of what was going to happen next. Her body relaxed as he entered her, it felt amazing. Something else she had never had the pleasure to experience. Missionary was the only position she had ever tried.

Her fingers grip the wooden dowels of her headboard as Alex increases the speed of his thrusts sending them both crashing over the edge together.

He rolls off, collapsing on the bed beside her. After depositing the used condom in the trash can next to her bed, he reaches out and pulls her close to him. Their bodies lie flush against each other. He kisses her shoulder as their breathing slows to a normal pattern and sleep takes over.


	13. Chapter 13

-1Chapter 13

The next morning Alex awoke to the smell of sweet lilac wafting through Izzie's bedroom window. The corners of his mouth turning up as he watched her sleep in his arms. This wasn't exactly what he expected when he took this job; sure he knew it would be hard not to be attracted to Izzie but waking up to her after making love….wait was that right? They weren't in love but he didn't want to just think of their night together as just fucking.

Izzie yawned, her eyes opening as she rolled over. "Good morning."

"Good morning." He smiles at her, tilting his head so he can brush his lips against her forehead. "Are you hungry? I could go make us breakfast."

"No, I just want to stay in bed all day." Izzie's arm snaked down the front of his chest until the tips of her fingers came in contact with the tip of his penis.

"I think that can be arranged." Alex smiled and kissed her neck softly, groaning as she stroked him.

They jumped apart as a loud crashing sound filled the room; the noise came from the kitchen. Alex lifted himself off the bed and hurried toward the door, intending on investigating the intrusion. "Alex, you're naked."

"I can't let you check it out, it's too dangerous." He grabbed the crumpled sheet off the end of the bed and wrapped it around his waist. "Stay here."

"Alex…be careful." She met him at the foot of the bed and kissed him hard.

He pulled away from her and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Iz, I'll be fine."

Her brown eyes full of concern, she watched as he left the room.


	14. Chapter 14

-1

Chapter 14

Izzie flung open the closet door, grabbing a shirt off a hanger and pulling it over her head. Her eyes caught sight of the heavy wooden bat in the corner. She had forgotten it was there, a phase Finn went through once. At the time she didn't understand why he all of a sudden gained an interest in baseball and joined a local team. Later on it became blazingly obvious when he started leaving for practice without the bat, a week later he left her…for Olivia.

She gripped the handle tightly, lifting it out of the closet. It felt heavy and powerful in her hands, but now wasn't the time to daydream about how it would feel to take a swing at a certain redhead.

What would Alex do if he found an intruder in her house? He was naked and unarmed; she knew she had to do something.

Her foot tentatively stepped down onto the staircase, with each step the fear increased. Images flashed through her mind of what she would find when she reached the kitchen. Alex was only gone a minute or two before she made the decision to follow him, she was starting to wish she stayed put like he told her to. The silence of the house never made her feel so scared, usually she found it calming.

As her foot stepped off the last step she took a deep breath and continued down the hallway toward the kitchen. Her grip tightened on the bat that rested on her shoulder. She passed the bathroom, not giving a thought to the closed door.

The fear took over as she heard the click of the door opening behind her. 'This is it, you're going to die' she thought as she turned, closed her eyes tightly and swung. She screamed as she felt the bat connect with something. Her eyes flew open and she witnessed the man slump to the floor before her

Alex had gone to the kitchen, it was empty. He found shards of glass from a broken vase in the sink. On the countertop lay a dozen red roses, the wrapper was cut opened and whoever placed them there must have cut themselves because he saw a small drop of blood on the floor. That's when he heard her scream. She was close…too close to still be upstairs in her room.

He pushed away the sick feeling he had and ran. He had to get to her…make sure she was alright. "Izzie!" He yelled as he left the kitchen.

There in the hallway she stood in only a shirt and a pair of underwear, holding a bat over the sprawled out body of a man. She heard Alex approach her and turned, looking him in the eye. A small smile crept up on her face and she broke out into laughter. "Oh god, I hope I didn't kill him." Her body shook, she was trying to control herself. The bat fell to the floor with a thud and she backed up against the wall, sliding down. She pulled her knees to her chest. After checking to make sure the man wasn't dead, Alex sat next to her. She silently cursed herself for laughing, it was inappropriate and Alex would think she was crazy. "I'm not crazy…I just always have inappropriate reactions to this kinda thing."

"You must have been so scared. I'm sorry." He reached for her hand. Why didn't she stay upstairs? Maybe she didn't feel that he could protect her, he cared about that more than he thought he would.

"That's Finn….on the floor. He came out of the bathroom and I just swung….I didn't mean to…." Her giggles turned to sobs.

Alex cupped her cheek with his hand and softly kissed her lips. "It's okay Iz; you thought you were in danger. He's gonna be okay….might have one hell of a headache but he'll live."

"What's he even doing here Alex? Why now….what if he had walked in on us? He could use it against me in court." She knew she was starting to panic; she couldn't help but feel that this was her fault for daring him to face her. Now it was the last thing she was ready for.

Finn groaned as he started to stir. "Alex you have to go…before he finds you. Please?" Alex saw the desperation in her eyes and nodded, he didn't like the idea of leaving her with a man who hurt her so badly but it was what was best for her and he would do it. He stood and pulled the sheet along with him as he left her alone with her husband. Her husband….it made him cringe.

Izzie watched him go, wishing she didn't have to ask him to leave. It should be Finn who left not Alex. Alex wouldn't hurt her, her heart told her so.


	15. Chapter 15

\/p>

-1Chapter 15

Finn groans as he slowly regains consciousness. The throbbing ache in his head intensified as he brought his hand to the source of the pain. He rolled onto his side, seeing for the first time the object that sent him tumbling to the floor. A bat. Not just any bat, it was his. 

"Why are you here?" His eyes traveled past the bat to the woman sitting on the floor against the wall. She looked like a kid in trouble; he might laugh if he wasn't in so much pain.

"Izzie…what the hell happened?" He sat up gradually, the spinning of the room making it difficult to focus. "Are you okay?"

Did he really just ask her that? Where the hell was he when she needed someone? "No! I'm not okay….I…what are you doing here Finn?"

"Izzie, I wanted….I needed to see you." It was too late; she was past the point of forgiveness. She stood and walked away from him, fighting the urge to run to the barn and fall into the arms of a man she trusted. "Izzie." He called out as she slipped into the kitchen.

He stood carefully and followed her; she was standing at the sink with her head down. He took a few hesitant steps toward her until his chest was just an inch or two away from her back. He lifted his hands, resting them just above her elbows. She closed her eyes tightly, inhaling the scent of his aftershave. The smell was always overwhelmingly strong, she preferred the smell of soap…Alex smelled of soap. "What are those for?" Her eyes opened and she nodded in the direction of the roses.

"They're for you; I know how much you love flowers." It was a long shot, he really didn't know if she liked them or not. Olivia loved red roses and he took the chance that Izzie did too.

Izzie didn't like them at all, it only reminded her that he had no clue what she liked. He never bothered to find out. 

"I hate roses. Lilies are my favorite." He rested his head on her shoulder and caressed her arms, he'd screwed up with the flowers but he hoped that she would hear him out. "I'm so sorry about the baby Izzie." She bit back a sob and remained quiet. "I'm so sorry for a lot of things….I should've never left you. I love you….can I please come home?"

Izzie could feel the anger boiling inside of her; it was too late for his apology. She shrugged him off and he stepped back with a defeated sigh, he knew it wouldn't be easy. "How did you find out about the baby? Her voice was cold and unkind, something he expected from the second he decided to come see her.

She roughly pulled open the cabinet door, grabbing the waste bucket from under the sink. "Mr. Webber….he met with your lawyer and she told him there was no baby to fight over." Izzie cleaned the broken vase out of the sink, letting her anger build as he spoke. "Olivia left me." He blurted it out, hoping that any minute she would turn to him and smile. Her kisses would be hurried and desperate; he couldn't blame her for feeling aroused at the sensuous kiss they would share. She was probably sexually frustrated, all those months spent alone in their bed missing the feeling of his cock thrusting into her. 

She didn't turn around; there was no smile or passionate kissing….just anger bursting out of her. "Get out! Get out now!"

"Okay, I'll leave….but please promise me you'll think about what we were to each other before any of this started. I'll give you a call in a couple of days, maybe take you out to dinner or something….we can talk about us. I still love you." 

He quietly left the house, pulling out his cell phone as he stepped onto the porch. He waited for her to answer, two rings and she was on the other end filled with excitement. "Did it work? Is she going to take you back?" 

He smiled as he heard her voice, she was everything to him and he would do anything to make her happy. "It didn't go as well as I hoped….but give it time baby and she will be begging for me. I promise I'm going to make this happen for us…I love you so much Olivia. "

"It has to work….I want a baby so badly." Her voice wavered, she wasn't able to have a child of her own and they planned on taking his baby and raising it as their own. Now there was no baby, he wanted to look into getting a surrogate or adoption but she said this would be the ultimate way for him to prove his love for her….so they put their plan into motion, now all they had to do was wait.

"I know you do and I'm going to make sure you have one." His eyes narrowed as the car pulled into the driveway, a uniformed officer getting out. "Hold on a minute baby. Can I help you officer?"

"There's been a report of some screaming coming from inside, can we take a look around?" His hand rested on the weapon that was attached to his side. 

"Sure officer, feel free to look around. I assure you nothing is wrong. My wife was just startled…I was trying to surprise her with roses." He smiled innocently at the young man.

"You got a hell of a bump on your head. Mind telling me how you got it." The officer questioned

"My wife, she uh….hit me with a baseball bat when I startled her. You can ask her if you like." He watched as the other officer stepped out of the car.

"I think that's a very good Idea." Stepping onto the porch he kept his eyes on Finn as he knocked on the door.

"I'll call you back okay." He didn't wait for her reply, cutting off the call quickly as Izzie opened the door.

Izzie's eyes widened as she saw the two officers on her porch, Alex must've called them. "How can I help you officer?"

"We got a report from one of your neighbors saying they heard screaming…are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine, just a bit startled. My soon to be ex-husband came over uninvited and I hit him with a baseball bat…I thought he was an intruder." Izzie explained.

"Okay look Mr. Dandridge, next time you drop in on your ex….call her first and make sure it's okay otherwise we might be sending an ambulance next time to pick you up cause it looks like she's got one hell of a swing." Both officers chuckled.

"Yes officer." Finn steps off the porch, clutching his phone in one hand as it vibrates. Olivia was calling him back, not able to wait for him any longer. He climbs into the car and answers the phone. He is too busy talking as he pulls out of the driveway to notice the man watching through the window of the room above the barn, his fists clenched at his side and his jaw tightening as the car disappeared out of sight. 

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	16. Chapter 16

-1Chapter 16

Cold drops of rain pelted his body as he hurried across the parking lot to his car; silently cursing himself for parking so far away, the weather report said blue skies all day. One look into the passenger seat of his black BMW told him why it was raining, the devil herself sitting there waiting to suck him into a dark domain of despair and bitchery.

The squeaking of the leather seats against his wet clothing made his skin crawl, or maybe it was the narrowed eyes of the woman who lived and breathed to torment everyone in her life. "Hello Mark….miss me?"

He most certainly didn't miss the intention of her hand sliding up his leg. "Addison what are you doing here?" He harshly removed her hand; she made it no secret in the past that she desired to have him regardless of her marriage to his best friend. Mark couldn't deny that he was attracted to her but Derek was the closest thing he had to a brother and he wouldn't betray that. Not to mention his feelings for Izzie, unrequited or not he couldn't seem to get her out of his head.

"I need your help….with Derek." He resisted the urge to open the door and toss her out into the cold rain.

"Why would I do that? He's your ex-husband for a reason." The reason being, she couldn't keep her legs closed to men that weren't her husband. Mark tried to warn Derek that his sweet new girlfriend was a deceitful cold hearted bitch; his pleas fell on deaf ears as Derek proposed a week later. Once they were married Derek began to slowly realize just how cold hearted she truly was.

"He still loves me." Denial, that's the first word that came to his mind as she shared her assumption.

"He refers to you as Satan, nothing you do will change that….besides he's seeing someone." Mark wasn't sure if she knew about Meredith yet, he thought it was time she found out.

Anger flashed through her emerald green eyes, vague visions of her ex-husband and his new girlfriend flooded her brain, giving her an instant headache. Mark concentrated heavily on the top of her head, waiting for a pair of horns to protrude out through her auburn colored strands. "He's just trying to get back at me, when he gets it out of his system he'll want me back."

"He's moving on Addie, you should do the same." The upbeat jingle of his phone filled the small space of the car.

"Ignore it." She demanded, tapping her foot against the floorboard in annoyance as he retrieved the tiny black phone from his jacket pocket.

"It's Derek." He flipped the phone open and held it to his ear. "Hey…..what? Is she okay….I'm coming over." He flipped the phone closed and reached over Addison's lap pulling on the door handle of the passenger side. "Get out, I've got to go." He was pissed and he didn't have time for anymore of her shit.

"Mark?" The nerve of him to throw her out of his car, she was far from done with him. "I can help you too…I have information you might find helpful. It concerns your little secret crush."

He cringed at her words, he made the mistake of getting drunk at Izzie's wedding and telling Addison about his growing feelings for his best friends sister, the one person that would use the information against him if given the chance and he spilled all his secrets to her that night. "I really don't care what information you claim to have, I'm not going to help you."

Getting out of the car, she paused for a moment before bending down to get the last word. "I've been sleeping with Finn…call me when you reconsider."

The door slammed shut, leaving Mark alone to process the newly acquired information.


	17. Chapter 17

-1Chapter 17

Streaks of water ran down the clear pane of glass separating Izzie and the three men who watched carefully as she tossed what was left of Finn's belonging's into the blazing fireplace one by one.

Derek stood with his hands shoved inside the pockets of his jacket as rain trickled down the back of his neck, wishing he could help her somehow. "Someone should go in there." He took his crystal blue eyes off of Izzie for a moment and focused them on George, who stood next to him shaking his head violently at Derek's suggestion.

There was no way George was going back in there, his head still hurt from the heavy medical book that was thrown at him as he tried to talk Izzie down from jumping off the edge of insanity. "Don't look at me! You're her brother!"

"And you're her best friend!" Derek argued back, knowing how stubborn his sister could get, slightly bordering on crazy. "Where the hell is Mark?"

As if on cue the shiny new black BMW sped into the muddy driveway, splashing through the puddles and screeching to a stop in front of the porch. Already soaked from the rain, Mark got out of the car and skipped up the steps two at a time. He grabbed the handle of the door, roughly pulling it open as he stepped into the house. "Izzie." He called out to her, ignoring the warnings from George to duck as he rushed by the younger man.

Alex kept his eyes on her through the window as Mark approached her. "Is he gonna be alright in there?" Alex wanted to go inside, he tried to go in but both Derek and George told him it was better to give her a little space until she calmed herself down. After careful consideration he decided to listen to them, after all he didn't know her as well or as long as they had.

"Don't worry about Mark, he'll be fine." A pang of jealousy swept over him as he watched Mark sink down on the floor next to Izzie.

Mark's fingers curled around the book in her delicate hands as he took it from her, it was Finn's favorite book. A first edition of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea, it was passed down to him by an Uncle he never met. His fingers grazed the top of the book, passing over the bold black lettering at the top. "I always hated that book."

"Me too." He flicked his wrist, sending the book into the crackling fire. For a brief moment it made her smile, reality came crashing down on her a second later when Mark's lips were firmly pressed against hers.

She brought the palm of her hand to his chest and gently pushed him away, she wasn't sure what to say to him. What do you say to a man you thought of as a brother after he slides his tongue in your mouth? As she searched for the right words her eyes drifted over Mark's shoulder. Derek and George seemed to be arguing as usual but that wasn't what caught her eye, it was the unmistakable look of confusion and hurt on Alex's face as he peered through the window.

He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much, it wasn't as if they were together. It was just sex, wasn't it? The only thing he knew for sure was he couldn't watch whatever this was between her and Mark any longer, he had to walk away.

Izzie wanted to scream out to him as he stepped away from the window; she would've if she hadn't felt the soft touch of the man who had just laid out his feelings for her in one simple kiss. "Izzie? Please say something." His husky voice broke the silence.

"I don't understand…what the hell was that?" They were friends, had been for a long time. Not that she didn't think he was attractive, he was one of the hottest men she knew and at one time she would've given anything to be kissed by him but those day's were over, she wasn't a teenager anymore. Things were different and so was she.

Mark was nervous; he'd been holding his feelings in for too long. It wasn't his intention to make her aware of the effect she had on him. Mind, body and soul. It just happened. "I…I've wanted to do that for so long." He began to explain, he felt like an idiot. It was an unsettling feeling, one he didn't like. He was never nervous around women; he imagined this was how it felt to be George O'Malley…scared and unsure. The problem was it was out there, already done. No going back now. "I think I'm in love…"

"Mark, I'm sorry….I love you, I really do. I'm just not in love with you." He expected it, so it wasn't surprising but that didn't make it hurt any less. "This is so awkward; I feel like I don't know what to say to you."

"Look Izzie, I didn't kiss you to make things awkward between us…I'm not sure why I did it. I mean I know why….because why wouldn't I know why I kissed you…God I'm turning into George." He laughs, it was common knowledge that George rambled when he got nervous. The long winded bumbling drove him crazy, yet here he was doing the same thing. "Let me try this again, I kept my feelings to myself all this time because on some level I knew you didn't feel that way about me….and I kissed you today because I wanted you to know that you don't have to take Finn back, you have other options. You're smart and funny…and you happen to be sexy too."

"Mark…." Izzie shook her head, she never though of herself that way. Most of her teen years were spent alone in her room on weekend nights while her friends were out on dates. Lanky girls with mousy hair and glasses didn't get asked out often, the highlight of her existence throughout high school had been her senior prom. She was the envy of all the senior and junior girls, her date was tall and handsome, with the sexiest smirk they had ever seen. One look with his sparkling blue eyes and cocky grin would melt the heart of any girl at the school dance that night. A few years later things changed, she traded in her glasses for contacts and styled her hair differently, the curves seemed to appear overnight.

He remembered how awkward she used to be, if he had only known back then how hopelessly in love with her he would become, he would've kissed her the night he took her to her prom. "You are gorgeous and without going into too much detail I will tell you that you've been responsible for giving me some of the hottest fantasy's I've ever had." It was probably too much information but he told her anyway, desperate for her to know that she wasn't that awkward teenage girl anymore.

Her laughter caught him off guard at first, it wasn't exactly what he'd expected but soon he was laughing along with her. Two curious heads peeked into the room at them, what a sight they must be, laughing hysterically over admissions of inappropriate day dreams and unrequited love. "Is it safe to come in now?" Derek's eyes narrowed as he stepped into the room, the laughter was a confusing turn of events and he wasn't sure what happened to bring it on but laughter was better than the tears so he decided to keep quite and not ask.

George kept close behind Derek in fear of getting a matching welt on the other side of his head. "Yes it's safe." Izzie gasped as she noticed the purplish bump. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry George"

His fingers rubbed the raised ridge of skin, jumping slightly as a dull pain throbbed across the tender spot. "Ouch!" He winced.

Izzie lifted herself off the floor and looked at the three men standing before her. They loved her and she was grateful for that but right now she needed to do something, something for herself. "Thank you for worrying about me but you don't need to, I'm going to be fine." She needed them to go. "Go home, please. I'll call you all later."

She stood in the opened doorway as she watched them drive away, her eyes traveled to the barn or more specifically above the barn to the small window of Alex's room. The rain still fell steadily but she didn't care, she stepped out onto the porch, the water quickly soaked through the thin cotton materiel of her skimpy pink shirt and the loose fitting pajama bottoms. The mud squished between her toes as she rushed to the opened barn door.

Drops of water dripped off her as she climbed the stairs to his room. Her fingers curled as they rose to knock on the door, she hesitated briefly before changing her mind and reached for the door knob instead.

The heat of the room poured out around her as she opened the door and stepped inside. Mud from her feet making tracks on the floor as she closed the distance between them. His wet clothes had been discarded, tossed to the corner of the room in a heap on the floor. He'd take care of them later. "Iz…" Her mouth crushed against his and he shivered from the cool touch of her wet body pressed against his warm one. He grabbed the hem of her shirt and tugged it up over her head, dropping it to the floor. Her rose colored nipples rubbing against his bare chest made his cock harden.

His thumbs slipped inside the waist of her pajama pants pushing them to the floor along with her red Hello Kitty panties. Izzie bit her lip as Alex lifted her, excitement coursed through every inch of her body. She wrapped her long legs around him, hugging tightly as he backed her up against the wall and entered her in one deep thrust. His stokes were quick, desperate to make her feel the pleasure he was willing to give.

Her fingernails scraped along his back as he snaked his hand between them seeking out her clit, it pushed her over the edge almost immediately. "Alex…OH GOD!!" Hearing her scream out for him was too much, he grunted as he thrust one last time. Spilling inside of her, he collapsed against her spent body.


	18. Chapter 18

-1Alex stared at the ceiling listening to the rain slam against the metal roof above. He tugged at the blankets until they covered the bare shoulders of the woman sleeping next to him. His body spooned up against hers in an effort to fit on the twin size bed, not that it was the only reason. He found himself wanting to be close to her, he felt that way even before they had sex. Brushing a golden strand of hair away from her face, he smiled. She was amazing.

Izzie stirred, teetering between the real world and a dream. In her dream she was with Alex, he was holding her as he whispered in her ear. His fingers softly tickling her arm, sending goose bumps to the surface of her flesh as they traveled from her shoulder to her elbow. His chest was pressed against her back, so close she could feel his heart beating or maybe it was her own, she really couldn't tell. She smiled as her fingers rubbed circles over the small swell of her stomach, her baby growing inside.

She turned to look at him but he was gone, she was alone. Standing in the tall grass of the field behind her house she suddenly felt cold as a breeze whirled around her, a baby crying in the distance forced her to move forward.

She ran to the porch and climbed the steps. The door was locked; she peeked in through the window, gasping at what she saw. Finn was inside, holding a baby wrapped in a soft pink blanket. Her fist pounded against the glass as he picked up a large bag and strolled to the front door. Izzie raced down the steps, her heart beating faster as she heard the cries louder and louder. The front of the house seemed so far away. Her feet pounded against the dirt as she ran, desperate to reach the driveway in time. Izzie struggled to breathe as Finn smiled at her from the front seat of his car as he drove away, taking her baby with him.

She gasped for air, sitting up in the bed almost knocking Alex off the other side. "Iz, its okay…you're okay." He wrapped his arms around her, instinctively rocking until her breathing slowed.

"Alex….he took her." She blurted it out before she could stop it.

"Who?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"My baby….he took my little girl." She answered, her broken voice worried him. "I couldn't stop him…I…tried to…" Sobbing, she tried to explain.

He didn't know what to say to her so he didn't say anything, he just held her as she cried. That was enough. She took a deep breath and let out a small laugh. "Oh god I feel like an idiot, I'm sorry."

He smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "You're not an idiot and you don't have to say you're sorry. I know it was hard to see him again, after everything that happened."

It was hard; she didn't realize how hard it was going to be. "I thought I was past loosing the baby, I guess I will never be completely over it."

"It's always going to be there Izzie." He sighed, wishing he didn't know what she was going through. "I was married once, before Rebecca. We were young and when she got pregnant we didn't even consider that anything would go wrong. Things fell apart quickly after we lost the baby. I ran into her last year when I went home to visit my mother for Christmas, she and her husband have three kids and another on the way. It brought back a lot of memories seeing her, pregnant. I had a hard time sleeping for a while after that, so I understand."

Izzie took his hand in hers, rubbing circles with her fingers against the palm of his hand. It was the first time she realized just how much she didn't know about him. "I didn't know that about you, actually I don't know anything about you."

"What do you want to know?" He asked, anxiously awaiting her answer.

"Everything, I want to know everything." It was crazy, she had never been intimate with anyone like she was with Alex, yet she knew nothing about him. That was something she wanted to change.

He spent the next hour telling her about his childhood; it wasn't what she'd expected. He had a rough start. His father left his mother to raise two kids by herself when Alex was just six years old. He became the man of the house, watching out for his little sister and helping his mother. His sister started to get into trouble in college; he bailed her out of jail a couple of times and even let her come live with him for a while. He told Izzie about how he barely scraped by in school, having responsibilities at home took up most of his time and his grades suffered because of it. He was shocked when he got accepted to Medical school and vowed to devote all his time to studying, it was too important to him to fuck up. He moved here to practice medicine, an old professor of his recommended him. That's how he met Rebecca; she was on the board of directors at the hospital. Her father was an influential member of society, meaning he was rich and got her the job. She took full advantage of the position, sleeping with half the staff behind his back and blackmailing the other half. He was glad to be rid of her, once he found out what a crazy cold hearted bitch she was.

Izzie was amazed when he asked her to tell him more about her. She told him about how her mother was an alcoholic who would leave her alone at night while she went to the bar around the corner. It was one week after her sixth birthday when her mother never came home again. An accident had taken her away, or rather the man who she went home with that night. They were both passed out when they hit the tree. A nice woman from the state came and got her the next day, informing her she would be living with her father, a man she never knew. To Izzie's surprise her father was married and they had a son who was older than her by three years. Derek accepted her right away despite the fact she was a product of his fathers affair with her mother, they became inseparable and soon Derek and his best friend Mark let her tag along with them everywhere. Mark's parents were always away on business or vacationing without him, so he spent more time at their house than he did his own. When Izzie reached high school, she was awkward. Too tall and skinny for the boys to notice. Alex told her it was hard to believe she was anything but the sexy woman that sat in front of him; she blushed and insisted she was telling the truth. Her story then turned to how she saved the life of a man who introduced her to his brother Finn. They hit it off immediately, looking back she began to realize it was the attention he gave her that really attracted her. It was something she wasn't used to, a man interested in her so completely.

Alex sighed. "Izzie, what is this between us?" They hadn't had a chance to talk about it yet, he wasn't sure he wanted to depending on her answer.

"What do you mean?" Izzie knew what he meant, but she really wanted to hear him say the words.

"I mean is this just sex for you or is there something more?" He asked.

She took her time to answer, looking for the right words to tell him how she was feeling. "I think…I know that there is something more, at least for me. I like you Alex, a lot."

He smiled. "I like you too Izzie, it's not just sex for me either but it's complicated. You're still married."

"I know, I think its best we keep it quiet for now." She hated to have to keep it secret, she wanted to tell everyone.

"I agree." There was something else he wanted to bring up but wasn't sure how to do it. "I'm not sure how to ask you this but…when you came in here earlier, things got a little carried away and I didn't…we didn't um…" This was harder than he thought. "…use a condom."

Izzie laughed, he was very cute when he was uncomfortable. "I'm on the pill Alex, its okay. I do think we should be more careful in the future." He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"You're right, nothing is completely safe. Except abstinence of course and I don't think that's an option." He leaned in close, kissing her lips softly as one hand cupped her breast, the other reaching to the bedside table, pulling out the small foil package.


	19. Chapter 19

-1Cristina Yang stepped out of the car and looked around. This was where Alex was living? It wasn't the upscale apartment he used to share with Rebecca, the woman that she referred to as 'the crazy bitch' but Cristina thought that it seemed to suit Alex better. He wasn't one for fancy surroundings; it was something they had in common.

Her boyfriend, for lack of a better term cleared his throat behind her. "We should get inside, looks like everyone else is already here." He held out his hand for her to take, she wasn't sure how to handle this. She was already taking a big step by bringing him to this dinner party, was she really ready to walk inside hand in hand? Her hesitation was enough to make him withdraw. He sighed and turned away from her.

Damn, she screwed that up. Nothing new, she was always screwing up when it came to men, this man in particular. "Burke, come on it's not that I don't…"

"Its fine, I understand." He cut her off coldly as he climbed the steps of the porch and knocked on Izzie's door. She cursed herself for standing still in the driveway; she wanted to be more open with him. She really did. Emotion just wasn't her thing, he would have to understand.

The door flew open; the smiling blonde on the other side wiped her hands on her apron and held one out to take the bottle of wine that Preston held out for her. "Thank you, I'm glad you could make it. Please come in." Izzie moved aside so they could step in. "We are still waiting on a few people but the dining room is that way and if you'll excuse me I've got to check on dinner."

Alex's smile quickly became a smirk as he noticed the man his friend had brought as a date, he knew there was something going between Cristina and her assistant. It was pretty obvious. "I'm impressed; you two are actually taking the relationship out of the bedroom huh?" Cristina scowled at him.

"I don't think I'm allowed to answer that." Preston stated. "It's against the boss' rules." His voice was flat, emotionless. Just the way Cristina liked he thought.

The room fell silent until the man at the end of the table spoke, trying to relieve the tension. "The food smells wonderful, Walter is a great cook. Maybe Izzie would like some help." Joe looked at Walter who was picking at the plate of appetizers that Izzie had placed on the table a little while before.

Walter was oblivious to what was going on around him as he chewed on the delicious food in front of him. When he looked up he found all eyes on him, watching. He swallowed what was left in his mouth. "I'm sorry, what?"

Joe smiled at him. "I said maybe Izzie would like our help in the kitchen."

The two men stood and excused themselves as Cristina sat down at the table. Her mouth hung open to say something as Preston sat as far away from her as possible, quickly closing it as she realized she had no idea what to say to him. Not that she wanted to have a conversation like this in a room full of strangers. "He's really pissed at you Yang." Alex leaned in and whispered to her.

She clenched her jaw, didn't he think she knew that! "I do realize that, thank you Alex."

Alex ignored the harshness of her voice and turned back to the conversation going on around them. Derek and Preston were talking about baseball as Meredith looked strangely at Cristina. "Don't I know you?"

"Nope." Cristina hoped the other woman would drop it, she did know her. In fact it was her fist case; Meredith had been put on the stand to testify against her mother's capability to make rational decisions when it came to her medical care. Ellis Grey had been one of her firm's biggest clients. The testimony Meredith gave was enough for the judge to rule against Ellis, placing her in the care of the Sunny day nursing home with Thatcher as her primary power of attorney. Loosing that case gave her a bad reputation with the firm, so she worked harder and became the one of the best before leaving to practice on her own.

"Are you sure, you look familiar." Cristina was grateful when a tall handsome man burst into the room.

"I met a woman; she's great and so hot…" Mark's face lit up as he talked about the new woman in his life. Derek smiled, happy that his friend had found someone. "…and we had the wildest sex I've ever had in my life, all night last night."

Izzie came into the dining room carrying some glasses and the bottle of wine that Preston had brought. "What did I miss?"

"Mark met a woman." Derek explained with a huge smile on his face.

"Good for you." She was happy for him; he deserved to find a nice girl. "Who wants wine?" A few hands shot up.

"Do you have anything stronger?" Cristina asked, clearly she would need more than a glass of wine to survive this.


	20. Chapter 20

-1Izzie sat down at the table next to Alex, looking around at their mixed group of friends, she was glad things were going smoothly. She frowned as she looked at the two empty seats at the other end of the table. George was late; it wasn't like him to be late.

Preston sipped the wine slowly from the crystal goblet, his eyes glued to Cristina who tipped back the glass of vodka, quickly sucking the liquid down in one big gulp.

Cristina inhaled deeply; it wasn't the most comfortable situation. Sitting across from a woman who kept staring at her trying to figure out why she looked so familiar. And then there was the man she was sleeping with who kept glaring at her, it was unbearable.

"Don't you think we should bring out the food?" Alex leaned toward Izzie and asked.

"George should be here any minute. He said he had an announcement, I'm guessing it had something to do with Callie….maybe she's pregnant." Izzie whispered. She hoped she was wrong. Callie was probably a wonderful girl but George needed someone sweet, like Meredith's sister Lexie. Now that was the girl for George, a perfect match! On several occasions Izzie would casually mention to George how sweet Lexie was, she even tried to set them up on a blind date once. He even seemed excited but then he met Callie and the blind date was soon forgotten.

"Who's Callie?" Alex asked. He had never heard the name mentioned before.

"George's girlfriend." Izzie snickered, if you could call her that.

Alex was stunned, he thought George was gay. "George has a girlfriend? Since when?"

"It's only been a month; he met her online on some dating website. He was going to take her to meet his family for the first time today." Izzie looked to the two empty chairs at the other end of the table, biting her lip. "Do you think he's alright, I mean what does he really know about this woman?"

Alex reached under the table and gave her knee a reassuring squeeze, causing her to jump slightly. No one knew about them yet, not even Meredith who she shared all her secrets with. She wanted to tell everyone but it was something they both agreed on. It was for the best. "I think he had to sit next to a woman he finds incredibly sexy knowing he couldn't touch her like he needed to." His hand slid slowly under her skirt to the inside of her thigh. Her nipples hardened, she hoped no one noticed. "They were probably going crazy sitting in a room full of people when all they could think about was sneaking off to have hot sex in the bathroom…" She swallowed hard as his fingers moved her cotton panties to the side and brushed against her already wet slit. Immediately she began thinking of an excuse to leave the table and for a way to ask Alex to come with her. She bit her lip hard and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. When she opened them she realized that she must've made a small noise because more than one person was looking at her strangely.

"You okay Iz?" Meredith asked. "You look flushed."

"I'm fine, just a little hungry." What Izzie was hungry for was not food. "My stomach won't stop rumbling." She lied, pushing Alex's hand away under the table. When she looked at him, he was smirking, pleased with himself for making her squirm. He would pay for it later, he would pay all night.

At the other end of the table Mark could only think of the woman he had in his bed last night, she was wildly sexual but it was more than that. He felt an instant connection with her, even as they sat at the bar and talked about sports. Her bitchy friend stepped outside to make a phone call after he made the mistake of hitting on her several times, that's when she offered to buy him a drink. She commended him on the size of his balls, her friend was certainly not interested and he was nothing if not persistent. "Have you ever had incredibly hot sex with a woman who disappeared the next morning?" Mark asked the stranger sitting next to him.

Preston's eyes darted immediately to Cristina. "Yes, unfortunately I have." His eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what that was like. Not in the sense that Cristina was gone the next morning but she became like a different person, all business and no pleasure. Such a contrast to the woman he spent his nights with, if he didn't know any better he would've suspected she had a split personality. Like Jekyll and Hyde, only hot.

"I wish I could remember her name." It was on the tip of Mark's tongue. Why couldn't he remember? Maybe he was distracted by what they were doing when she told him.

"You don't remember her name?" Derek laughed out loud. "It must be love."

"I remember!" Meredith shouted, pointing her finger at Cristina. "I don't know why it took me so long, you are not easily forgotten."

"I was only doing my job." Cristina started to explain, she had a feeling she would have to defend herself the second she laid eyes on Ellis Grey's daughter sitting at the table when they arrived.

"You work at the café?" Meredith asked. "I didn't realize you worked there. What did the guy do?"

"I'm sorry?" Cristina was confused, what the hell was she talking about? "I don't…"

"I've never seen a woman barge into the men's bathroom like that before." Meredith laughed; an angry woman bursting into the bathroom screaming out a man's name should not be forgotten.

"You went into the men's room? Why?" Preston asked. He was not surprised by anything she did, but this was something new…even for her.

"Oh don't look at me like that, I had to do it." Cristina rolled her eyes. "He wouldn't return my calls."

"Who?" He wasn't sure if he even wanted to know about this.

"Richard Webber." The look on his face was priceless when she pushed open the door. He had been standing at the urinal relieving himself when she walked in, sending the two men at the sink running for the door. Hadn't they ever seen a woman in the men's room before? "He's arrogant, thinking that I will just go away if he ignores me. I will not back down."

Izzie sat up straight and smiled. "You walked in on Finn's lawyer while he was going to the bathroom?"

"He was underestimating us; we needed to show him who he was dealing with. I told you I was gonna fight for you Izzie, this is what I meant."

Izzie was stunned, she expected the woman to be tough but this…this was amazing. "So what happened?"

"You mean after he pissed on his shoes?" Cristina smirked. "He agreed to have a talk with his client about keeping his distance from my client."

"Ellis Grey was my mother, you were her lawyer? Right?" Meredith questioned as the room fell silent. "That's where I know you from isn't it?"

"Yes…it is." Cristina waited for the screaming to start.

Instead George burst into the room tugging Callie behind him with a huge smile on his face. "I'm getting married!" He was out of breath, excited to share the good news.

"You're getting married? To who?" Derek asked. He assumed it was to the raven haired beauty behind him, she looked uncomfortable and he felt sorry for her.

George tugged on her hand once more and she tumbled forward, closer to the table full of strangers who looked at her. "Callie?" Her eyes closed, she knew that husky voice. Just last night that voice was whispering in her ear, telling her how amazing it felt to fuck her. What was he doing here? No, no, no! This wasn't happening to her. "You're marrying George?" Mark's voice got louder; obviously he was angry with her for lying to him.

She told him she was single and she intended to be as soon as she got up the nerve to break things off with the kindhearted man she had been dating. "I…I haven't said yes, not really." George sprung the proposal on her so quickly; she didn't have time to tell him what she needed to tell him. They were over… she slept with another man and they were over.

Cristina turned in her seat and placed a card into George's hand, he looked down at it briefly. "What is this?" He asked.

"Just in case she says yes." He read the words 'Cristina Yang Attorney at Law'. In smaller print it read 'Specializing in divorce'. "Something tells me you'll need it."

"No wonder my mother liked you, you're just like her…coldhearted." It wasn't exactly untrue. In fact Cristina prided herself on pushing aside her feelings, she was a better lawyer for it but she was no match for Ellis Grey.

"Your mother was completely capable to make her own decisions; you and your father just wanted control over her. She wasn't coldhearted and neither am I!" Cristina shot back, even though she didn't believe it.

George turned to Callie."How do you know Mark?" Before the words left his lips he knew. Maybe it was the look in her eyes or the reputation Mark earned as a ladies man. More than once George had heard him refered to as a manwhore.

Izzie sat back and watched as the fighting began. Meredith was upset with Cristina for something that happened a long time ago and George kept asking Callie what happened between her and Mark, his voice rising each time he asked. Callie was silent looking between both men and Mark was staring at the table refusing to look at Callie. Even Preston and Derek were arguing about sports.

It had to stop; Izzie couldn't take it any longer. She stood suddenly and yelled. "Stop…just stop! Meredith it was a long time ago and Cristina was just doing what she was hired to do!" Cristina smiled. "Cristina, Meredith was right to want to make decisions for her mother who couldn't make informed decisions on her own…and Ellis was a cold bitch! George what exactly do you expect here…you've only been dating for a month and now you want to get married, that's insane! You're rushing! Have you even considered that maybe she's not as serious about you as you are about her?" George opened his mouth to answer but was quickly cut off before he could. "Obviously she's not! Callie I hope you aren't going to hurt either of these men that I care about by not being honest with either of them about what your intentions are…because if that's what your planning, I'm going to kick your ass! Derek…Preston, who the fuck cares about sports? It's just a game! "

"Izzie…" Derek cared about sports and he was about to ask his sister what the hell was wrong with having a heated discussion about baseball, it was an american pastime and half the fun was defending the team you loved.

"You are our friends and Alex and I are having sex, maybe more so you'll have to see each other every once in a while, so suck it up and get along!" To make her point she grabbed Alex by the shirt and pulled him to her kissing him roughly on the lips and then pushing him back when she was done. "You and me…in the bathroom now! You can finish what you started!" She pushed back her chair and stood, walking away leaving them all in stunned silence.

"Help yourself to the food." Alex said as he leapt from his chair and hurried out of the room after Izzie.


	21. Chapter 21

Alex closed the door behind him; he was surprised to see her sitting on the edge of the bathtub cradling her head in her hands. "You okay?" He sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry; I know we said we wouldn't tell them but I…" She didn't know why she did it….it just came out. "I've never done that before."

"What, yelled at people who deserved it?" It was an attempt at humor, something to make her smile. The truth was she had never yelled at anyone like that. It felt good. "I'm glad they know about us. The truth is...I don't think I could hide my feelings for you." Alex admitted.

A shy smile formed on her lips. "You have feelings for me?"

"I do." He smiled. "I think you're amazing Izzie." Possibly the most amazing person he had ever known.

She pressed her lips to his; savoring the gentle motion of his tongue as it invaded her mouth. Her fingers traced his strong jaw line. He broke the kiss, moving his mouth to her neck. The short stubble tickled her skin as he sucked and kissed her collarbone.

"You're so beautiful "Alex murmured against her as he placed wet kisses down toward the valley of her breasts. He moved to kneel in front of her as she tugged her plum colored top over her head, dropping it into the bathtub behind her. He reached for the front clasp of her matching silk bra and fumbled with the hooks, allowing her full breasts to spill out from the restraining fabric.

Izzie could feel the tingling effects from the mixture of cool air on her exposed body and the erotic feeling of his hot breath on her skin as he leaned forward and took her taut nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it with the perfect amount of pressure. She moaned softly, the feeling of his mouth on her skin was blissful. Her fingers wrapped around the back of his neck just at the bottom of his close-cropped hair. "Alex." His name breathlessly escaped her lips as he continued his assault on her breasts. She shivered as the backside of his fingertips skimmed across the soft curve of her left breast.

He reached under her skirt, tugging at her panties with his free hand. As he slid them down over her legs, his mouth released her nipple. Alex turned his head up and smiled at her before kissing her softly on the lips. "Come here." He gently pulled her forward, easing her down onto his lap. His arms held her against him protectively and her legs locked securely around him. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip, his denim covered erection pressed to her opening.

"Oh god, please I…I need you." She needed to be closer; it didn't matter if all her guests were listening at the door or if they were all alone. When she was with Alex, the rest of the world always seemed to fade into the background. "Please."

He knew what she was asking for. He rocked his feet back on his heels and held the cheeks of her ass tightly, lifting her as he stood. Her feet gradually reached the ground. Her fingers gripped his zipper, tugging them down after practically ripping the button off his pants. He chucked softly. "Iz, it's not that I don't want to but…" His gaze traveled to the closed door of the bathroom, their friends were on the other side.

"You're not going to get shy on me now are you?" She pushed his pants down and smiled at him, thinking it was very cute that he would touch her under the table with them all right there but suddenly when they were behind closed doors, he would think twice about screwing her. "You didn't seem to care out there."

"It's not that. I didn't really plan for sex in the bathroom while they were here." He paused. "I don't have any protection. We said last time that we were going to be more careful and I can't exactly waltz out there like this…" He pointed down at his engorged cock "…and ask if anyone has a condom."

"Do you want me to do it? I'm sure someone at that table must have something…" She turned away from him, grabbed her fluffy white robe off the hook and reached for the door handle.

His eyes widened. "Wait…" Would she really go ask for a condom? He got his answer when instead of opening the door; she locked it and dropped the robe to the tile floor.

He could see the devilish smile on her face as she turned to him. "Relax, I was only kidding…I have a box of condoms under the sink." She stepped forward and placed her hands under the hem of his shirt, sliding it up as her fingers roamed up over his stomach and to his chest. "And if you're really good…" The shirt flew through the air, landing carelessly on the curtain rod. "I'll give you a special treat…on top of the dinning room table…after everyone leaves." Her skirt was next to go, tossed aside in a heap on the floor. She took two steps toward the sink to retrieve a condom from the box.

Alex stepped out of the pants that pooled at his feet and kicked them to the side; he did not want anything to get in the way of what he was going to do to her. He sucked in a breath as she rolled the thin latex down over his length. He backed her up against the sink, her legs instinctively wrapped around him as she gripped the countertop and leaned back. He poised himself at her entrance, sinking slowly inside.

Izzie shivered as the tips of his fingers flicked against the sensitive nub of flesh hidden between her silky folds. "Oh my god, don't stop." She was loud, for a moment he wondered whether her words carried into the dinning room. How long would it take for her brother or maybe Mark to bang on the door and threaten to kick his ass? He knew if it were his sister, he would have barged in a long time ago. He quickly pushed that thought aside; thinking of his sister was definitely not helping. Izzie, Izzie, Izzie….naked glistening Izzie… She gasped as he suddenly thrust into her harder than before; his fingers deftly coaxed the massive orgasm to its peak.

Sitting around the table, not sure what to do, they all sat quietly as the room filled with muffled screams coming from behind the bathroom door. Joe peeked around the corner. He and Walter had been hiding out in the kitchen. They heard Izzie yelling and decided to stay put until it was safe…but after the yelling came the quiet and now the screaming. Although he hadn't been able to hear the words clearly enough to know what was wrong, he knew Izzie sounded infuriated with someone. He was sure the screaming he now heard, was not angry. It peeked his curiosity. He wasn't sure what he was going to see when he looked into the room, everyone sitting quietly was not what he expected.

The screams subsided as Joe took a seat at the table; Walter trailed behind him into the room and sat next to Joe. "So…" He started, not sure what to say. The room seemed tense; he noticed they were all trying to avoid any eye contact. "What's going on?" All eyes drifted towards him and another round of screams broke out behind the door.

"Uh, that's…." Cristina was at a loss for words, maybe for the first time in her life.

"Wow!" Meredith added. "Lucky girl."

"Yeah." Cristina shifted her eyes across the table at Meredith, the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile.

Mark suddenly rose from the table, it was too much and he had to get out of there. Not only was he listening to the woman he recently declared his unrequited feelings for, having what sounded like some pretty hot sex in the bathroom. He was also sitting across from the woman he made, what he believed to be a deep connection with, sitting next to her boyfriend. Delusional, nice guy George….how could he compete with that. Women always wanted him for sex but when it came to an actual relationship, they looked for guys like George. "Mark." Derek called after him. He wasn't going to stay, he was going to find the closest bar and drown himself in the stinging burn of whiskey.

Callie pushed her chair back, intending to go after him, when George caught her arm. "I owe him an explanation George, I'm sorry if that hurts you but…"

"It's not about you." George spoke quietly. "He's in love with Izzie…it's not about you." He hoped he was right; the truth was he wasn't sure. He didn't really care as long as Callie stayed. He needed her to stay. It was the only advantage he had over Mark. He was going to use it whether it was right or not.

Callie stilled at George's words, she felt like a fool. Erica was right. It was only sex. A one-night stand that would never become anything more. Why didn't she listen when her friend tried to warn her not to go home with him? It was because she felt a connection with him instantly. Of course, she never believed in love at first sight, that was just stupid, but there was something there. There must be, she was willing to give up a decent man like George to find out if there could be more.

"Well, maybe we should go ahead and eat." Joe suggested, once again trying to ease the tension.

"How can you think of food…" Walter nodded toward the door, a high-pitched cry erupting behind it followed by a crashing sound. "…with_ that_ going on?"

"I'm hungry, I can't help it." He shrugged.

Alex squeezed his eyes shut, Izzie's fingernails dug into his back and he held onto the wall with one hand for support. His other still moved between them, when he shifted his weight his foot met what felt like a tube of toothpaste. In the heat of the moment, they had knocked everything off the back of the sink; neither of them paid any attention. His breath was hot against her ear as he whispered how incredible it felt to be inside her. She felt the rise of her climax, building quickly. As she crested at the top, he grunted and spilled into the protective layer of materiel that separated them. Wave after intense wave washed over her as she crashed down over the other side. A sheen of sweat glistened on their skin. They slumped together, sated and weak.


	22. Chapter 22

He knew right where to find her, perched on the white bench overlooking the large bird pond that was central to the oversized park. It was her favorite place, like a scene from a fairytale. He smirked; every good fairytale needed a wicked witch. Despite all the times he refused her advances during her marriage to the man he thought of as brother, he secretly wondered what would happen if he had taken her to bed. A woman like her must be pure fire between the sheets. "I've been looking for you."

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she looked up at him. "And now you've found me." He stared at the smooth milky legs that crossed at the knee; they seemed to go on forever. "Are you going to tell me what you want or are you going to stand there staring at me?"

"I want your help." He hated to ask her for anything; it always came at a high price. "I need your help Addie."

She laughed; the irony of it was very amusing to her. "That's priceless, I asked for your help and you turned me down. As I recall you threw me out of your car."

He shrugged, taking a seat on the bench next to her. "It wasn't moving."

"What do you want Mark?" She didn't feel like playing games with him, not today.

"I want you to tell me what he's going to do...to Izzie." He demanded, knowing it wasn't going to be that easy. She wouldn't just tell him what he wanted to know.

Amusement danced in her emerald eyes. "Who?" The appeal of taunting him returned quickly.

"You know who and you know exactly what I'm talking about." He paused. "You said you were sleeping with Finn and I'd be interested in what you knew. You were right. I'm interested, now spill."

She held back the laughter; he really thought it was going to be that easy? "And what are you going to do for me?" The false innocence behind her smile had him worried; he would pay greatly.

"I'm not going to help you with Derek; I think we both know that's pointless. He's crazy about Izzie's friend Meredith. Anything I do, it's not going to matter." He shifted his weight, uncomfortable with the way Addison was glaring at him. Everything he said was the truth, and she knew it.

"Seduce her." It was perfect; Derek would dump Meredith and come running back to her.

Mark raised his hands, defensively. "I'm not going to seduce Meredith Grey." Derek would hate him; he would loose his best friend. It was an unspoken rule that neither of them had dared to break, they never slept with the same women. "There has to be something else you want."

Her eyes traveled down his body; there was one thing she always wanted from him. One thing he would never give, until now. "Yes, I think there is something you can do." Evil was the first thing that came to his mind when he saw the smile, slowly spreading across her face. He was in trouble. The information she held had better be worth his soul, because his soul was what she was going to take.


	23. Chapter 23

Alex scanned the crowded dining area as he was led to his table. He was looking for Izzie, who should have already been there by now. They were supposed to meet at the Wild Hog for dinner after Alex was done helping Joe and Walter move into their new house. A nice little ranch less than a mile from the bar. "Your server will be right with you." The teenage girl placed two menu's on the unoccupied table. "Can I put in a drink order for you?" She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth as her eyes swept over his body, slowly undressing him with her mind.

"I think I'll wait for my girlfriend, thanks." He smiled, finding it somewhat cute that a girl her age would flirt with him that way. He was flattered, but not interested. The only girl that held his interest would be sitting across from him soon. She pushed a chestnut strand away from her eyes and smiled at him shyly before leaving him alone to wait.

He attempted to open the menu but the pages were stuck together. "Great." A female voice muttered as the menu was suddenly ripped from his hands, taking him by surprise. The petite waitress leaned towards the table behind him. "You done with this?" She asked the older man whose eyes were busy scanning over the menu, not waiting for his answer as she plucked the laminated sheets out of his pudgy hands and threw them down in front of Alex. "Water, juice, soda or surprise, surprise a beer?" She rolled her eyes; guys like him were always so predictable. Something told her this man was no different than the rest.

Tentatively, he answered. "A beer would be great" Picking up the menu, he began to look it over.

"Shocking." Sarcasm heavy in her voice, she ripped the menu away from him. "You won't need this; I already know what you want."

Intrigued by her confidence, Alex smirked. "And what do I want?" This should be entertaining, he thought.

"Steak, medium well. Potato, mashed. Green beans…wait no, corn and a side salad for your date, who will not show up by the way." Her cocky statement had Alex almost laughing. When Izzie arrived, he would try not to rub it in too badly, the girl seemed to be having a bad night and he did not want to add to her frustration. Especially if she was to have access to his plate, he did not need her spitting in his food.

"You seem awful sure of yourself." He smiled, not letting on that her assumption had been dead on. It was exactly what he planned to order. "That's a bet I wouldn't make if I were you."

One corner of her mouth lifts to form a crooked smile, showing off the dimple on her chin. "I'll tell you what, I'll go put in that order and when your date doesn't show….I'll sit and choke down her salad." He wasn't sure if it was her way of feeling bad for him or just a bad pick up line, regardless Izzie was going to be joining him any minute and he had no intention of dining with the porcelain skinned waitress who was all of five feet tall.

"I'm leaning more towards grilled chicken, fries…and green beans just happen to be my favorite." He lied, the taste of green beans made him ill, but tonight he would happily choke them down to prove a point. "I'll need a little more time to decide." Smugly, he dismissed her. Glancing at his watch, he realized Izzie was almost a half an hour late. It wasn't like her; she was meticulous about arriving on time. Truthfully, it drove him crazy. Yet somehow, he found it endearing at the same time. He dug his cell phone from his jacket pocket, dialing her number uneasily. Three rings and it went to voicemail; he would give her another minute before trying again.


	24. Chapter 24

-1Bright light straining through the windows of the house put Alex at ease for the moment. Through the big picture window he saw her sitting on the couch; staring at the floor. A large envelope sat on the cushion beside her. As he quietly entered the room, she did not turn to look at him. "It's over." She whispered.

He focused on the envelope, the return address was from Cristina's office. "I was worried. When you didn't show up at the restaurant I tried calling you but you didn't answer."

"I'm sorry, I should have called you." Her fingers trembled as she picked up the envelope and held it out for him to take. "It's the divorce papers. He signed them, without a fight. I can keep the house and he promised to leave me alone." Izzie found them leaned up against her front door. She assumed they had been hand delivered while she was gone, her appointment had been at 3pm.

Alex could not help but worry, she seemed unsure. Was she having second thoughts, or was it such a shock that it was finally over that she didn't know how to react? For his sanity, he opted to go with the latter. "It's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"It was." Quickly, she corrected herself when she noticed the hurt look on his face. "It _is _what I want Alex." Her clammy hand wrapped around his. It was then he noticed the color, drained from her face. Her usual complexion replaced by a pale shade of gray.

"You don't look so good." He tossed the envelope onto a nearby table and covered her forehead with the palm of his hand. "Are you sick?"

Izzie squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm just a little dizzy."

He helped her lie down on the couch and ran to the kitchen to get her a glass of cold water, after she admitted to him that she hadn't had anything to eat or drink since early that morning. "Here." She tipped back the glass, gulping down the liquid as he pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and covered her legs. "I can go make you something to eat."

"Maybe just some dry toast." She caught his arm as he began to retreat to the kitchen. "Alex?"

He crouched down in front of her, tucking a mass of blonde curls behind her ear. "Yeah?"

She bit her lip nervously; what she needed to say was not going to be easy. "There's something…I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" His heart thumped loudly in his chest, whatever it was brought along a worried look. "You can tell me Iz, whatever it is….just say it cause you're scaring the hell out of me."

"I'm pregnant." She whispered softly. "I haven't been feeling well and I thought it was just a touch of the flu. I went to the doctors today to find out why it wasn't going away and she said it was because I was pregnant." It was a subject they never talked about, what would happen if she got pregnant.

"A baby?" Alex smiled, on instinct the palm of his hand smoothed over her stomach. It was more, it was the promise of the future. A way for them to both let go of the past and start over, together. A tiny ad in the local paper had led him here. He was only looking for a job, what he found was a family.


End file.
